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jennifervu's review against another edition
3.0
Seems like an easy book that can make me laugh.
"After I Finished the book"
Was I right? I was laughing throughout the book. Humor aside, the book was okay. The parents and children didn't talk normally. The children talked like adults while the dad talked like teen. AWKWARD!! I was hoping for the ending to be different...
"After I Finished the book"
Was I right? I was laughing throughout the book. Humor aside, the book was okay. The parents and children didn't talk normally. The children talked like adults while the dad talked like teen. AWKWARD!! I was hoping for the ending to be different...
esppperanza's review
4.0
I read this because it was $3.00 at my schools book fair and I really liked it. Don't really remember much except I really liked it.
bellatora's review against another edition
4.0
This book is for late-grade school students, up to middle schoolers. It's a cute, lovely book about friendship and being true to yourself. For what it is, it's very nice, but it is not even close to my age range. I expected a YA book with a dash of romance, and this is not that at all.
I knew I was in trouble when I found out the characters were in seventh grade. That automatically makes the book too young for me. And there was also no romance or actual boys in this book - just the boyfriends that Tori and her best friend Sienna make up. Sienna, because she wants to be cool. Tori, because she's annoyed at Sienna for lying and ignoring her.
This is not a regular four-star rating because four star usually means I enjoyed it more. However, I can't penalize this book because it's meant for a different audience. It's like giving a Dick & Jane book a three star rating because the plot is slow and the characters are two-dimensional. That's not the point of those books!
For the age-range intended, this is quite a good book. Simplistic, but that's how those books tend to go. It's cute, it's sweet, it's silly, it gives a good lesson without being preachy. It just isn't for twenty-somethings.
I knew I was in trouble when I found out the characters were in seventh grade. That automatically makes the book too young for me. And there was also no romance or actual boys in this book - just the boyfriends that Tori and her best friend Sienna make up. Sienna, because she wants to be cool. Tori, because she's annoyed at Sienna for lying and ignoring her.
This is not a regular four-star rating because four star usually means I enjoyed it more. However, I can't penalize this book because it's meant for a different audience. It's like giving a Dick & Jane book a three star rating because the plot is slow and the characters are two-dimensional. That's not the point of those books!
For the age-range intended, this is quite a good book. Simplistic, but that's how those books tend to go. It's cute, it's sweet, it's silly, it gives a good lesson without being preachy. It just isn't for twenty-somethings.
holtfan's review
2.0
So boring, I didn't even finish it. Good plot, but the characters bored me silly!
lingthebells's review
3.0
One of the most wittiest teenage protagonists, I've read so far in a teenage romance. Way better than the last one I've read last year. I mean, come on, psych-condition your friend? You have to give it to her.
mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
My Fake Boyfriend is Better Than Yours is the story of Tori Barnes, who is about to start seventh grade. She thought she'd be doing so with her best friend, Sienna, by her side, but Sea went away for the whole summer, and for the last six weeks, she's been totally incommunicado. When Tori does finally run into her, Sienna is totally changed - she has a new haircut, a new tan, and she's bragging to every popular girl that she has a new boyfriend. Tori is convinced the boyfriend is a fake, but she doesn't want to be left out, either, so she creates a fake boyfriend of her own, and begins competing with Sienna, trying to prove that her boyfriend is more romantic and all-around better than Sienna's. The charade seems to be going well, until suddenly, the girls' new popular friends want them each to bring their boyfriend to the dance. Will Sienna prove that her boyfriend exists after all? How will Tori explain herself if Sienna finds out the truth?
I love Kristina Springer's books because they're so perfect for younger teens, and for kids who just aren't into darker stories. Their lightness and humor remind me a lot of Paula Danziger's books, which I read constantly when I was in middle school, and they're also good read-alikes for a lot of Disney-Hyperion's newer titles that I've been reviewing lately - Nerd Girls, Mission Unpopular, and Fetching. What I liked about this book in particular, is that it's not a romance at all, but a story of how friendships between girls can change when boys suddenly enter the mix. Springer tells this story with a wonderful sense of humor and a really believable 12-year-old voice, and when the girls finally do break down and tell each other the truth, the lesson come that friends always come before boyfriends real or imagined comes through loud and clear.
Also, this book has an awesome cover. The idea of packaging the fake boyfriend like a Ken doll and writing little bits of advertising for each of his many stellar boyfriend qualities is a brilliant idea, and the cover is completely eye-catching and appealing. Recommended to middle school girls whose friends have just started dating, and/or who like their books sweet, but also smart.
I love Kristina Springer's books because they're so perfect for younger teens, and for kids who just aren't into darker stories. Their lightness and humor remind me a lot of Paula Danziger's books, which I read constantly when I was in middle school, and they're also good read-alikes for a lot of Disney-Hyperion's newer titles that I've been reviewing lately - Nerd Girls, Mission Unpopular, and Fetching. What I liked about this book in particular, is that it's not a romance at all, but a story of how friendships between girls can change when boys suddenly enter the mix. Springer tells this story with a wonderful sense of humor and a really believable 12-year-old voice, and when the girls finally do break down and tell each other the truth, the lesson come that friends always come before boyfriends real or imagined comes through loud and clear.
Also, this book has an awesome cover. The idea of packaging the fake boyfriend like a Ken doll and writing little bits of advertising for each of his many stellar boyfriend qualities is a brilliant idea, and the cover is completely eye-catching and appealing. Recommended to middle school girls whose friends have just started dating, and/or who like their books sweet, but also smart.
hdbblog's review against another edition
5.0
Adorable. Pure and simple, that's what this book was. It's a quick read at only 192 pages, and the premise is something that anyone of any age can relate to. Remember that girl in school who was too cool for anyone else? What would happen if that girl used to be your best friend before the summer break? That's what happens to Tori, and she has no idea how to react!
Tori was so sweet and endearing as a main character. I thought it was amazing how well she knew Sienna, and how willing she was to accommodate to her at first. In terms of good friendships I would definitely have to say Tori is at least an 8. Her willingness to be a great friend despite the circumstances really made me smile. I don't want to spoil, but there were a few times where I giggled out loud at the lengths she went to for Sienna's well being!
Sienna is also a very believable character. Even growing up in a smaller town, I saw the girls who suddenly morphed over breaks. The girls who tried to fit into the popular crowd so that the would feel more accepted. It never occurred to them who they were leaving behind. What really touched me was how true to life Sienna's feeling and need for acceptance really were. It resonated with me in a way that made me love this book that much more.
Long story short? This is a very sweet, very fun read! If you are looking for something light to read over the summer, this is definitely a book for you. Endearing characters, true to life circumstances, Kristina Springer has built an extremely adorable novel for the YA crowd!
Tori was so sweet and endearing as a main character. I thought it was amazing how well she knew Sienna, and how willing she was to accommodate to her at first. In terms of good friendships I would definitely have to say Tori is at least an 8. Her willingness to be a great friend despite the circumstances really made me smile. I don't want to spoil, but there were a few times where I giggled out loud at the lengths she went to for Sienna's well being!
Sienna is also a very believable character. Even growing up in a smaller town, I saw the girls who suddenly morphed over breaks. The girls who tried to fit into the popular crowd so that the would feel more accepted. It never occurred to them who they were leaving behind. What really touched me was how true to life Sienna's feeling and need for acceptance really were. It resonated with me in a way that made me love this book that much more.
Long story short? This is a very sweet, very fun read! If you are looking for something light to read over the summer, this is definitely a book for you. Endearing characters, true to life circumstances, Kristina Springer has built an extremely adorable novel for the YA crowd!
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